We thought about a trip to San Francisco for a while. I was doing some research for a client and I came upon a 3 day Cruise from Vancouver – San Francisco. This sounded like a great alternative to the usual, go to the airport and catch a flight. It turned about to be a fantastic way to get there. The ship left port at 5:00pm and we cruised away on a beautiful sunny day. We chose a balcony cabin for a few reasons. First of all, it’s a nice way to enjoy the passing scenery from the comfort of your room. We also love being able to order room service for breakfast. The best way to start the day is sipping a cup of coffee on that balcony! Because it was a short cruise, we had only 1 port to stop at. This was Astoria, Oregon. It was a great little place. We made our way to the Astoria Column and climbed to the top. The views were incredible! It was a great way to spend another beautiful sunny day! The next day was at sea. If you’ve cruised before, you know that there are plenty of things to do on the ship. There are swimming pools, hot tubs, a casino, a gym, spa…Tons of options.
We woke up early on the arrival day into San Francisco. The ship cruised under the Golden Gate Bridge and that was something we didn’t want to miss. Arriving at the port was a really easy process. We left the ship, picked up our luggage and away we went. Our first stop was the Muir Woods. We hiked through this beautiful park of Redwoods. Next was a late lunch at Stinson Beach. The road to both of these is very windy and if you struggle with motion sickness, you may want to consider stopping every now and again. The views are spectacular all around! It’s an easy tour to do from San Francisco and I highly recommend both stops.
The next day was a drive to the Napa Valley with stops at 3 Wineries. All 3 were outstanding. Beautiful grounds and great wines. The first was Cosentino, 2nd – My favorite, Mondavi and the 3rd was Inglenook, formerly known as Coppola. Ideally, it would be great to stay right in the Napa area to experience more. I’ll add that to my list!
In San Francisco, our first stop was Alcatraz. We had purchased tickets online before we arrived as they can sell out quickly. The tour was truly amazing. I’d never seen the inside of a prison before…grateful for this little tidbit! The included audio tour was very interesting and we learned alot about the history of Alcatraz. When the tour was done, like most tourist sites, there was a lovely gift shop. We wandered around for a bit and foud a book that was written by an ex inmate. I wondered, in that moment, if he was still alive. I looked to my left, and there he was, signing his books! You never know who you’ll run into.
There are so many restaurants to choose from. We found Joe’s Crab Shack on the way back to our hotel. It is located right on the Embarcadero close to Fisherman’s Wharf. Great food and drinks at reasonable prices.
We chose a hotel near the Wharf. It was great to be so close by, especially at the end of the day after wandering and exploring the city on foot. We chose to ride the Cable Car up to Union Square. This is a must when in San Francisco! If you’re a fan of shopping, the area around Union Square is for you. We found alot of great deals and a great variety all around. Back at the Wharf, we decided to indulge in clam chowder in a Boudin Bread Bowl. So good! Next time I will share!
If you’ve never been to San Francisco or the surrounding area, add it to your list. It’s well worth it!
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